Ranchi/Srinagar: The results for Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand Assembly elections declared on Tuesday are along the expected lines. While there is a hung assembly in Jammu and Kashmir, the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies crossed the halfway mark of 41 in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly.
Riding high on anti-incumbency, the People's Democratic Party of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed won in 28 seats to emerge as the single largest in the 87-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, but the BJP though failed to attain its 'Mission 44' even though it more than doubled its seats. The party came a close second to the PDP bagging 25 seats but all its wins came from the Jammu region. Mufti's party won three seats from Jammu.
The ruling National Conference succumbed to the wrath of the people of the state and managed to win just 15 seats while the Congress continued its losing streak and bagged just 11. National Conference leader and outgoing Chief Minister Omar Adbullah lost Sonawar but managed to win Beerwah after a tough fight against PDP's Nazir Ahmad Khan.
Conceding defeat, Omar Adbullah said, "Considering the stone pelting incidents in 2010, massive floods in the state in 2014 and other incidents that took place, my party could not have done any better." He also said that the NC has not got an offer from any party for an alliance and added that they are not even looking forward to one.
On the other hand, the PDP which is all set to form its government in the state, said that the party will explore options of government formation. "We are grateful for the support that the people have shown in them. We will not cobble up with any party to come into power, we will explore all options before forming a government," PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti said. Although the PDP president remained non-committal about an alliance with any party, she said the people had voted against the National Conference and Congress coalition.
Sitting in a comfortable position, the BJP said that it will keep all its options open. "All options are open. The option of forming a BJP government is open, the option of supporting somebody is also open. The option of joining some government is also open," BJP President Amit Shah said.
In 2008 Jammu and Kashmir elections the NC had won 28 seats, Congress 17, PDP 21, BJP 11, Panthers' Party 3 and CPM had one. The independents had bagged six seats.
Jharkhand:
Even though the party failed to get a majority on it own, but the BJP combined with the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) in Jharkhand to successfully bag 43 seats in the 81-member house. The BJP contested on 72 seats while its alliance partner AJSU contested on 8 seats with the Lok Janshakti Party trying its luck in one.
Contesting alone, the BJP's arch rival Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) won 18 seats with prominent winners being Chief Minister Hemant Soren who won the Barhait constituency but lost in Dumka. The BJP also sufered a set back with its heavyweight leader and CM candidate Arjun Munda losing in Kharsawan.
BJP's alliance partner AJSU, too, suffered a jolt as its chief and former deputy chief minister Sudesh Mahto lost from his home turf Silli, which he had represented for 15 years. While Jharkhand Vikas Morcha won seven seats, its chief and Jharkhand's first Chief Minister Babulal Marandi lost from Giridih as well as Dhanwar.
Former CM and Jai Bharat Samanta Party chief Madhu Koda, who was recently chargeesheeted by the CBI in the coal block allocation scam, lost the Majhgaon seat, but his wife Geeta Koda retained Jaganthpur. The Congress won three seats and is leading in four others. Its alliance partners RJD and JD(U) failed to open their account. In the 2009 Assembly election the BJP had won 18 seats. JMM, too, had won 18 seats with Congress 13, JVM 11, AJSU six, RJD five and JDU winning two seats.
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